Solar energy is an easy-to-use, generally safe, clean , and renewable resource. Here's how to make the most of it for living off the grid, in a developing country , or even outside. This article focuses on using solar energy for electricity, which can be used to perform all kinds of work. For heating, including space heating , water heating and cooking, it is generally much simpler and cheaper to collect the sun's heat directly, or, in some cases, overall better to use other energy sources frugally. **Steps** 1. Create a Budget . Solar power generally has a high up-front (capital) cost and--if it works-saves money over time (low operating cost). If you estimate that your solar project will cost a large part of your monthly income, or more, make a budget for your overall expenses and project expenses to make sure the project won't cause great financial hardship even if for some unknown reason it turns out to be a total loss. Solar energy can save a lot of money compared...